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| Name |
Jain, Rakesh K. |
| Location
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Harvard Medical School |
| Primary Field
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Engineering Sciences |
| Secondary Field
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Medical Genetics, Hematology and Oncology |
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 Research Interests
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My research goals are to understand the nature of barriers to the delivery and efficacy of molecular and nano-medicine in tumors, to develop and test new principles to overcome these barriers for improving detection and treatment of tumors, and to translate these principles from bench to bedside and in the process discover new biomarkers and new strategies to improve the outcome further. This seamless integration between bench and bedside is a hallmark of my research. To unravel the complex pathophysiology of tumors, we have developed an array of cutting-edge and innovative technologies and sophisticated animal and mathematical models. These tools have enabled us to reveal how the vascular and extravascular compartments in solid tumors actually function and malfunction, and how their pathological behavior thwarts the effectiveness of therapeutics. In 2001, I proposed a novel principle that antiangiogenic therapy can "normalize" the abnormal tumor vasculature and improve both the delivery and efficacy of therapeutics. We then provided compelling evidence in support of this hypothesis in animal models and cancer patients and uncovered some of the complex molecular mechanisms responsible for vascular normalization. Most recently, we have discovered that the extent of vascular normalization can be used as a predictive biomarker in these patients. |
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